


Suspenders

by InsanityAbyss



Category: Chernobyl (TV 2019)
Genre: Anatoly Bottom, Dyathanov, M/M, Suspenders, Viktor Top
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-10-27 00:43:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20751500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsanityAbyss/pseuds/InsanityAbyss
Summary: "After getting over this shocking moment, Dyatlov made his way back home, one hand still holding his pants. Just in case they slip again. He did not want another incident like that one before. The situation itself was already embarrassing enough to him. It almost feels like his hard shell got some sort of … crack."





	1. Chapter 1

He opens his eyes. Tired. No sleep. Anatoly Stepanovich Dyatlov, the deputy chief-engineer of the Chernobyl power plant. He and his night shift comrades had a tough time last night. They had to run a safety test, which ran all smooth and nice. Today he must tell his boss, Viktor Bryukhanov about the successful test. But aside the fact that the test passed well, he is very nervous. One does not simply go to Bryukhanov without a salty taste of fear on the tongue. 

There is no way past it, He has to get up and tell his chef about it. 

With a bitter taste in his mouth he sits up, his blanket slowly slips off his bare chest. He was too tired last night to take on his striped Pajama, so he just slept in his undies. 

After a refreshing cup of coffee and a nice shower he finally looks like a person who had a successful night. The hair nicely brushed back, his beard all trimmed and his suit … wait…! His suspenders are nowhere to be found. What a nightmare. Without those his pants, which do not fit at all, will slip and slide the whole time. 

Unfortunately, the suspenders do not show up and he has to get ready without those. 

With quite some angst he grabs his suitcase and makes his way to Bryukhanovs office. On the way to the white house he encounters Akimov, who, as soon as Dyatlov enters his sight starts to sweat like a waterfall. 

“Good morning, Akimov” he grumbles at him. As his Boss he must show dominance, which in Akimovs case works just fine.  
“Good morning … Comrade Dyatlov” Akimov stumbles a bit. Last night was not easy for him at all. The test took everything from him, since he and Leonid Toptunov were not prepared to run the test at all and almost failed it. Akimov quickly lowers his head to then walk by. Dyatlov really is a man to fear in his eyes, and everyone knows that. 

It’s funny, how everyone fears and respects Dyatlov for being a rough chef to them, but at the same time Dyatlov himself almost shits his pants thinking about his meeting with Bryukhanov. 

Dyatlovs walks by then. Not granting Akimov another glance. He arrives at the white house, and he can feel his stomach slowly turn upside down. 

The all feared Dyatlov fights anxiety himself when it comes to Bryukhanov. It could be the simple fact that he is his boss which he respects of course, or simply for the sake of a formal meeting. But most likely it’s rather the fear to talk to his love interest. 

As unlikely as it seems, Dyatlov has a very soft spot for Bryukhanov. But as it has to be, Dyatlov is too shy to approach him, even to ask for a simple date outside the office work. 

He enters the building. Bryukhanov is nowhere to be seen. Luckily. Dyatlov gets more and more nervous. He could meet him around every corner. Every step he hears, every shadow he sees could be him. Dyatlovs pants slip and slide annoyingly. 

Footsteps are heard. A very stiff and stable walk, it must be Bryaukhanov. One can see Dyatlovs fear and panic rise in his face. He loses his breath and starts to sweat just like Akimov did earlier today. 

Then he comes around the corner. Bryaukhanov in all his glory. He wears a tight fit suit in an elegant midnight blue. His hair is done nice just as everyday, the curls seem to look especially lovely today. 

He walks straight towards Dyatlov. His eyes fixed into position, piercing through the room directly into Dyatlovs soul. He stops in front of him. 

Silence. 

It’s almost like you could hear Dyatlovs heartbeat racing, so loud it must be. 

“Was the test a success?” Bryukhanov asks him. The tone of his voice as serious as always. 

“Yes, Comrade Bryukhanov.” He looks down, just as he notices that his pants slip again. NOT NOW!! Of course, this must happen in the most unfortunate moment of all. He raises his gaze again to see if Bryukhanov noticed. Panic.

Sure he noticed, there are things that can’t be unseen now. “Hm, did you lose your suspenders?” Bryukhanov asks him them. Raising his eyebrows still looking. 

What should he answer him now?? Nervous he starts to stumble: “I…. I … I couldn’t find them this morning. I apologize for this embarrassing situation.” He grabs his pants to lift them up again. 

“Wait.” Bryukhanov grabs his hand and stops him. What does he want to do now?? His face all mellow and soft towards Dyatlov. There can’t be a bad intention to this action, or? 

The moment flies by, and he releases Dyatlovs hand again. “S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” He turns around and goes. 

What was that now? Why was Bryukhanov suddenly so….. insecure, but also suggesting at the same time?


	2. Chapter 2

After getting over this shocking moment, Dyatlov made his way back home, one hand still holding his pants. Just in case they slip again. He did not want another incident like that one before. The situation itself was already embarrassing enough to him. It almost feels like his hard shell got some sort of … crack.

But aside that, the thoughts won’t get out of his head. Why did Bryukhanov reach for his pants? Did he want to pull them up for him as a polite gesture? Or did he want to pull them off completely??? No, that’s impossible, and he should stop thinking about something unrealistic like that. 

Questions over questions and not a single answer in reach. 

A few hours pass. Dyatlov made his way to Akimovs apartment. There is no way around it. Since he can’t solve and cope with this moment on his own, Dyatlov searches for help. 

He knocks on Akimivs door. A few moments pass. Then the door opens. 

Akimov is on the other side of the door, looking outside: “Yes hello?” He asks, just as he realizes WHO stands in front of him. 

He slams the door in shock. What does Dyatlov want from him?!? Akimov is not supposed to be on shift right now, and general in his free time he does not owe Dyatlov a thing. So, what does he want? 

The moment passes, Dyatlov rolls his eyes annoyed. “Open the door, Moron!” he says in a tad louder tone than usual, affected by the tention still inside the bones, and the fact that he wants Akimov to hear him well.

The handle sounds again as Akimov slowly opens the door once more. He looks outside into Dyatlovs face. His forehead sweaty. “Yes, Comrade Dyatlov?” His voice stumbling. 

“Will you let me in?” Dyatlov looks at him with a piercing gaze, head slightly tilted to the side. Akimov surely did not want that actually. But since Dyatlov is his boss he should better obey, even in … such a moment, he has no other choice.

“Yes, Comrade Dyatlov…” The door opens completely, slowly, revealing that Akimov is just in his shorts. Bare foot, bare chest, just pants. Upon seeing this, Dyatlovs eyes grow wide. This was not the view he expected.

“You don’t need to explain.” Dyatlov just walks inside. Looking around a bit. Akimovs flat is super tidy. It’s small yet organized and the available space is well used. There is a door to the bathroom, an open kitchen to the living room, and another door leading to the bedroom. 

Said bedroom door slowly opens, and a pair of eyes lurk outside. 

Meanwhile Dyatlov takes a seat on the couch, still looking around. His eyes slowly wandering towards the bedroom door, which opens more and more, revealing who is inside.

Akimov now notices what’s happening at the door. He quickly rushes in front of it, and slams it shut. A thud is heard followed by a faint scream of a male voice. 

“What was that?” Dyatlov looks at Akimov rather confused. “N-Nothing.” He answers to Dyatlovs question. “That sounded like a man falling, you know?” Dyatlov continues. 

The sweat now dripping from Akimovs forehead intensifies. What should he say his BOSS?? 

“I … Got rats”  
\- “Rats…?”  
“Yes! R-Rats, nasty little rats!”  
\- “Did you name all of the Leonid or just one…?”

Akimov stares at him in shock. Exposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw well, looks like Akimov is exposed. Next part will include some confessions.


	3. Chapter 3

Akimov opens the bedroom door carefully. Toptunov lays on the ground, holding his nose. After Akimov slammed the door shut, Toptunov fell back and bumped his poor nose against the dresser. “I’m sorry honey, are you okay? Do you need to see a doc?” Akimov picks him up careful, holding him in his arms. Toptunov looks up at him. “No no, it’s alright. But what about Dyatlov? What does he do here?” 

Just in that moment Dyatlov sneaks up behind Akimov, standing there like a tall tree, looking down to them two with a judging expression. The two men in front of him look up at him. He would cast a shadow covering up even Akimov completely, if some sort of light source was behind the mighty Dyatlov. 

“Are you two lovers finished now? I’m not here for tea, I have business to do, okay?” He sounds mean. Quickly the two men stand up from the ground, both still half naked and just wearing shorts to cover up parts of their bodies. 

Dyatlov looks up and down at them, thinking about what they have done before he knocked on the door. The thoughts shiver down his back as he thinks about THAT specific thing. But well, that’s private anyways and he shouldn’t bother too much about them. 

The three men make their way into the living room and take a seat on the couch. 

“Do you want a tea or a coffee?” Akimov asks the two. “Yes, a tea please, thanks hun!” Toptunov replies with a smile, looking at Dyatlov then, who has a murder expression and seems rather annoyed now, than pleased about the offer. Akimov notice and rushes to the kitchen to get the tea. 

Dyatlov leans back. “Anyways, I will start to explain myself now. I’m here because a certain happening today, and I need your advice about that.” 

That’s odd, normally Dyatlov only cares about his own opinions and judges situations according to his own experience, not letting anyone else question him. But this time he asks the two young engineers for help. 

Akimov sits down then, placing the mug in front of Toptunov. “What is it then, comrade Dyatlov? How can we help?”

Dyatlov explains the situation that happened prior, looking at them with a stiff and motionless expression to not show how much it affected him. 

“I see.“ Akimov replies. “That’s why you came up to us, we are most experienced with topics like that! We are glad that we can help you. I already know what to do, no worries. It was similar with me and Lenya.”

Dyatlov raises his eyebrows: “Wou wou wou, hold up a second. I did not come to you because of your experience! You haven’t even been my first choice, no, not even second, third, fourth or fifth. You are basically the only one who opened the door, that’s why I’m stuck here now with you two …” He seems more annoyed, but in fact he was ashamed, he did come straight to them because of their relationship and their experience in dating a man. 

Akimov and Toptunov look at each other with wide eyes. Dyatlov behaved way too suspicious, and they notice that something is wrong. 

Meanwhile Dyatlov starts to sweat and holds his hands together nervous. If one looked up closely it would be clearly visible that he is shaking a lot.

Akimov: “Comrade Dyatlov, I notice something is wrong. Please don’t try to hide and relax. Things will only get worse if you do not accept the truth.”

“Truth!?” He speaks up loud: “What truth!? I … I… ARG!!!” He stands up angry. Not just Akimov and Toptunov are exposed, but Dyatlov now as well. 

Toptunov looks up to Dyatlov: “Please Comrade, it’s really better. We can help you with your feelings. We promise!”

Dyatlov looks at the young man, sitting next to Akimov, holding hands. This image is all he ever wanted. That’s all he ever desired to have with Bryukhanov. But it seems so far away. The despair and sorrow slowly take over him: “It’s just … I … uff …“ He sits back down and starts to cry, holding hands onto his face, trying to hide the tears running down his cheeks. 

His soft spot got discovered and he can not hide it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Dyatlov. Things are getting pretty emotional here.


	4. Chapter 4

The next Day. 

It’s pretty early in the morning, once again. The night shift just ended and Dyatlov stands outside the Power plant. Smoking. 

It looks like he is waiting for something, or someone. He sucks hard on the cigarette, taking a very deep breath. Inhales. The glim of the cig shines bright and burns it up towards the orange air filter. Almost burning his hand, he takes the cig out of his mouth and drops it on the ground. It lands gently next to 6 more burned out cigarettes, all of them smoked recently. Exhales. 

He is nervous. Very nervous. His nerve system is so strained that he can not stand existence without nicotine. Yesterday was way too much. After his break down, Dyatlov went home depressed. Even though he and the other two agreed on a plan how to couple up Bryukhanov with Dyatlov, he feels unsure and insecure about his actions. How would a man like him ever have a happy future?

There would be no possible situation in which Bryukhanov would agree to a relationship with him. No one would want an old plum like him. And especially not the most handsome man in whole Prypiat. 

It's getting late, Dyatlov still stands there and waits, impatiently. 30 Minutes later Akimov and Toptunov finally come out of the Power Plant and join Dyatlov. 

“You two are late.” He says with a hissing tone, looking at them with his meanest face. Both Akimov and Toptunov however, are pretty relaxed. “I’m sorry comrade, we had to do the protocol as you ordered it.” Akimov replies.

A short moment Dyatlov looked like he blushed about his own dump ass move. It was not the smartest idea to give Akimov the extra work today. 

“Fine however, lets go then.” He turns and goes to his car. Akimov and Toptunov follow. They sit down inside the car, Dyatlov on the driver’s seat and the other two on the back seat. Why none of them join Dyatlov at the front? Simply because both are unsure if he allows them to. 

Even though they start to develop some sort of friendship, they still respect each other and their respective positions as worker and Boss. 

Dyatlov drives towards the city. The palms of his hands get really sweaty over time. Nothing bad will happen, but still he feels the angst rising in his throat. 

They arrive at a small café. All of them get out of the car and take a seat at the outside area of the café. There is not much going on at this time of the day. There is just one other man sitting nearby, he looks at the three men with a judging and evil expression, focusing his gaze on Akimov and then on Toptunov. 

A young girl nearby brooms some leaves away from the other seats. It looks like she works at the café. “Excuse me, Miss?” Says Akimov, trying to get her attention. “Yes?” The girl replies. 

“We would like to Order.”  
\- “Oh yes, just let me get my notes and a pencil real quick, then I will record your order.”  
“Alright thanks.”

Akimov nods and smiles towards her. She lays the broom aside and goes inside the café. 

“So.” Akimov starts, turning to Dyatlov. “You’ve never dated anyone before, right?” Toptunov leans a bit forward and bases his head on his arm as he looks to Dyatlov. “No.” Dyatlov replies with a hiss. “How about you come straight to your point instead of presenting me a whole essay about relationships?”

Akimov leans back a bit: “Alright alright. Just wanted to know where to start. Dating someone is not that complicated actually. The golden rule would be, to be yourself.”

Toptunov and Dyatlov look at Akimov simultaneously. Both with an unbelieving expression. Dyatlov being himself would most likely result in him getting fired from his position. In all honesty, Dyatlov is not knows for his kindness. 

Akimov looks back at them: “What? Is something wrong? Is something stuck in my moustache?” He taps his beard confused. Toptunov shakes his head. 

Suddenly, the man behind them at the other table gets up furiously, he grabs Toptunov and drags him out of the chair. He takes a Knife out of his pocket and holds it towards Toptonovs Throat. 

“LENYA!!!” Akimov yells, standing up in shock, trying to act quick and rescue his love. The man steps back, dragging Toptunov with him, holding the knife directly onto Toptunovs throat now, pressing it against him more and more, blood starts to drip. 

Akimov stops, his face is in pure shock, pale, his body shaking in fear. Anything could happen now, even the death of his most loved one! 

But the attacker did not take Dyatlov into account. While the he was busy with Akimov and Toptunov, Dyatlov took the broom of the cafés employee and smashed it onto the mans head, who then goes to his knees and blacks out. “Nobody messes with ME.” Dyatlov says as he watches him fall to the ground. His face mean, with a strong and protective expression. A true hero.

Dyatlov catches Toptunov as he was about to go down as well: “Hey, careful. Are you okay?” Dyatlov asks him. Akimov comes rushing to them, almost falling onto them both as he takes them into his arms for a big hug. “I’m so glad you are fine Lenya! I was SO afraid that you could die…!” He looks to Dyatlov with tears in his eyes. “Thank you SO much, comrade Dyatlov…!”

After all, Dyatlov finally opened up and let someone into his heart. The friendship towards Akimov and Toptunov is still fresh, but the bound is strong already, nobody will mess with Akimov and Toptunov ever again, not on his watch. 

In this very moment he feels hope, hope that he has a future in which he can be a happy man. Even if it’s still far away, his road is set. 

However, this man who attacked them, who is he? And why did he attack?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? Dyatlov is a friendly guy! I told ya!


	5. Chapter 5

Akimov comes out of the ambulance room together with Toptunov. It was not much or any deep, but the cut in his throat needed treatment to avoid nasty infections. The attacker has been arrested in the meantime, Dyatlov took care of that like a true man, no one will mess with him. Ever. 

Still the case remains curious, there is no clear reason why the attacker did what he did. With the coming May celebration days and the grant opening of the amusement park, things must be cleared before anyone else gets hurt. Maybe the attacker has companions who will attack innocent children. The risk is too high. 

The three men make their way back to Akimovs flat. 

Toptunov sits down on Akimovs sofa, touching the bandage on his throat a little bit. “Stop that Lenya, it needs to heal!” Akimov stops him. Toptunov puts his hand back down with an utter, kinda sad expression in his face, looking upwards to Akimov. 

“Naw don’t look at me like that Lenya, I just want you best”. Akimov then replies: “I will go to the kitchen and make you a nice warm tea, that will help.” With that Akimov leaves and goes to the kitchen. 

In the meantime, Dyatlov takes a seat as well, looking at Toptunov with his usual mean face. His eyes fixed on Toptunovs, piercing through like always. The sweat start to drip from Toptunovs forehead again as he has to stare back. Slowly but surely getting really anxious. “U-Uhm, is something wrong…?” He then asks carefully. 

Just that moment Dyatlov realizes that he is doing the usual, apparently, he is really not used to NOT look mean. Since he has literally no friends or any loved ones at all, it’s hard for him to maintain a friendly face. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean too. This is new to me.” He answers openly towards Toptunov. On the outside he stands rock solid, but on the inside, he is crimble crumble like an unstable house of cards. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and tries to relax a bit. 

Finally, Akimov returns from the kitchen with the tea for Toptunov. “So” he starts: “What shall we do now? Everything is reported to the police, but there is still the possibility of danger, especially with the grant opening of the amusement park in a few days.”

Dyatlov looks at him, thinking. What he says is truly right. But on the other hand, they can not do much about the situation. For a short, brief moment his thoughts fly away from the potential danger at the amusement park, all the way to Bryukhanov. That curly hair, his smile, the way he gently plants those roses in Prypiat for everyone. 

“Comrade Dyatlov?”  
Snap back to reality, he stares at Akimov, who looks at him confused. “What do you think about?” Akimov asks, tilting his head a little. Dyatlov leans back, “About what? Take a guess.” He exhales. 

“Oh” Akimov replies. 

Toptunov grabs the cup of tea in front of him: “Comrade Bryukhanov will be there as well. It would be a good opportunity for you to approach him. We could keep an eye open for potential criminals and also help you with asking Bryukhanov out. Isn’t that a good idea?” 

Indeed this is a good idea! … Not for Dyatlov apparently. He can feel the angst crawl up his stomach right into his throat again just by thinking about asking out Bryukhanov.

Akimov pats Dyatlovs leg: “No worries Comrade, we will be by your side that day. Nothing will go wrong, I promise.” 

The days pass and May finally arrives. The grant opening of the amusement park is near and everyone in Prypiat prepares for the festive celebrations. The people start to gather at the entrance of the park, the sun will set a few hours after the opening and there will be a nice firework to properly celebrate the occasion. 

Dyatlov, who is a nervous bundle of bricks, still sits inside his flat. Akimov and Toptunov promised to come and get him, they don’t want to let him go alone. They really care for him and want to mentally support him with his struggle. But so far, the two men did not appear at his door, making the situation even more stressful for Dyatlov. If he comes too late to the celebrations Bryukhanov will most likely not be available for him for the rest of the evening. 

Finally, the doorbell rings, thank god! Dyatlov rushes to the door like a mad man, furious he opens the door … just to discover who is on the other side. 

It's not Akimov or Toptunov, on the other side of the door is Bryukhanov. 

Dyatlov freezes in motion, his eyes growing wide, he stares at the man in front of him. Speechless. The panic is strong within him, what should he do? What should he say? Maybe he should just slam the door shut and hide under the bed for the next 15 years like the coward he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, getting kinda hot in here or is it just me.


	6. Chapter 6

After a short moment, that felt like an eternity, Dyatlov finally swallowed his fears and greets Bryaukhanov: “Good evening, Comrade Bryukhanov.” His voice still stumbles a bit and he tries to stay focused at all costs. 

Bryukhanov smiles, he carries a single rose with him, holding it up towards Dyatlov. “I was wondering if you want to spend me company at the opening ceremony today?” Dyatlov takes a step back. What did he just say to him?? The utter confusion is written all over his face. This must be a dream, there is no way this can be real. 

He swallows again: “Did Toptunov and Akimov tell you to come and get me, Comrade?” His voice almost falling sad, did his friends betray him? It’s not much of a deal since he did want to meet Bryukhanov anyway, but not this way, not at his door under these circumstances, he is not prepared for this. 

Luckily this time he has his suspenders and they sit all tight to keep his pants up. 

Bryukhanov tilts his head a little: “No Comrade. I… I thought after our last meeting, which went a little bit embarrassing for both sides, I could come and do you a little favor as an apology.” He smiles at Dyatlov soft, to show him that me means it all honest and in no bad way. 

He holds his hand up to him, just as if he wants to guide him, like a man would guide a lady. “It would be an honor for me. Really.” He says. Dyatlov looks into his eyes, then down to the hand. 

Suddenly it gets really hot. Dyatlov feels like he is boiling. The man in front of him is all serious about his offer, and how is his chance to finally ask him out! With a deep inhale Dyatlov rises his hand to take Bryukhanovs. His body is still shaking. So much that Bryukhanov notices. 

“Relax Comrade, no worries I won’t bite.” He giggles and heads downstairs together with his man. Dyatlov still can’t believe what’s happening to him. The situation is simply too surreal to be real. They make their way down and into Bryukhanovs fancy car. Dyatlov looks around inside the car, there might just be this one chance to investigate what secrets may hide here. But there is nothing much to see sadly. The car is all clean and tidy, besides a few recently smoked cigarettes there is nothing to report. 

Bryukhanov starts the engine and drives towards the amusement park. Just about five minutes later Akimov and Toptunov arrive at Dyatlovs flat. They ring the bell and wait. But no one opens them. Akimov rings again. 

“What’s wrong? Why won’t he open the door??” Toptunov asks concerned. Akimov looks up to the windows of Dyatlovs flat: “There is no light, he either not want us to take him to the opening celebrations, or he is gone already without us…” 

The two men look at each other. They are highly unsure what to do. Even though Dyatlov started to warm up to them and they became friends it’s still a risky action to invade his private property like that. After a short debate they decide to go the opening celebrations alone. They just hope that Dyatlov will be there and not in his flat crying his heart out. 

Meanwhile Bryukhanov and Dyatlov arrive at the amusement park. Since Bryukhanov is one of the most important men in Prypiat, and he will hold the grant opening, the two men enter backstage right through the VIP entrance. 

An hour passes and everyone gathered near the amusement park. Akimov and Toptunov are there as well, looking around for Dyatlov. “What if he is not here Sasha?” Toptunov asks afraid. He could never forgive himself if they let alone Dyatlov, never. Akimov looks further, but still no sight from Dyatlov. 

During the last hour, Dyatlov, however just sat there backstage like an afraid rabbit in a trap. He was sitting there on a chair and waited for Bryukhanov to do all the bureaucracy business that he has to do in order to open up the celebration. After that tedious hour Bryukhanov finally came back to Dyatlov. 

He takes his hand right away and helps Dyatlov stand up from the chair. “Come, the celebration will start soon, and we need to go on stage and cut through the opening ribbon.” With that said he drags him to the door. 

STAGE!? What stage, and why does he have to come with Bryukhanov?? As if Dyatlov wasn’t mentally wrecked enough already, no, of course not. Now he must go on a stage with the man he loves and pretend that nothing is wrong. This evening is probably the most eventful evening in his whole life. 

And with that said, faster than he could imagine he stands on stage. He investigates the crowd of people in front of him, everyone of Prypiats citizens came to the grant opening, and that means that everyone will see him stand there like a deer in front of a car. Help seeking, he looks to Bryukhanov, but he however stands there with the confidence of a power plant director and holds his speech. 

Akimov looks at the stage in shock: “Lenya…. Look! There on stage is that…?”   
“COMRADE DYATLOV!?” Toptunov almost yells. They look at each other in total confusion, then back up to the stage. With a pinch of relief, they stare at what’s happening in front of them. At least they can be sure that Dyatlov is not inside his apartment crying like a baby.

It feels like hours pass, but suddenly Bryukhanov approaches Dyatlov again with the scissor in his hand, he holds it to Dyatlov. “Here you go, cut the ribbon for me and open the park!” Bryukhanov says to him gentle. 

As if it was planned, and with weak knees Dyatlov makes his way to the ribbon and cuts it. The people cheer in joy as the ribbon slowly falls to the ground. Now they can enter the park and have a fun time. 

With a deep exhale Dyatlov smiles at Bryukhanov, almost proud about his actions. “Well done Comrade. Now, lets head to the big wheel. The fireworks will start soon, and we want to have a fancy view, right?” Dyatlov nods. His previous anxiety suddenly fell off of him completely. The feelings of pure joy and excitement took over and he starts to enjoy what’s happening. 

It doesn’t take much time until the two men are atop the big wheel. They have the best view of them all. And the fireworks will start very soon. 

Dyatlov looks into the distance, above the forest, the river of Prypiat and everything that lies beyond that. This very moment has reached its peak. There is nothing that could make it any better. 

“Anatoly?” Bryukhanov asks from aside. Dyatlov looks at him, again with a shocked expression. No one called him by his actual name for such a long time. It felt strange to hear it again, and out of Bryukhanovs mouth it gains an even more special tone. 

“Yes?” He then answers. His cheeks blushing. 

“You know, this is a very special day for me. I built this city from scratch, along with our beloved power plant. But I never felt fulfilled during my life. There is always something … missing you know? And when I first saw you, something deep inside of me felt warm and fuzzy for the first time ever. I did not know how to deal with a feeling like that. I never experienced anything similar before. I’m not sure if you remember our meeting a few days ago, with that … incident. I don’t know what came over me, but the moment your pants dropped I felt the need to lend you a helping hand. I was so embarrassed that day, I could not contain myself. I felt guilty, I thought you may take that as an insult. And please forgive me, I asked Sitnikov to look after you to figure out what you think about the situation. He reported to me that you met up with Akimov and Toptunov to ask for advice how to approach me. I was so glad, really I thought you would never share the feelings I have for you.” Bryukhanov takes Dyatlovs hand. 

The touch of Bryukhanovs hand runs though Dyatlov like a lightning. What he just said was everything Dyatlov wished for, and it all went smoother than he could imagine it to be. 

The firework starts, and Bryukhanov lays his other hand on Dyatlovs cheek, approaching him. Dyatlov comes closer as well. They both close their eyes as their lips gently meet. It’s a faint shy kiss at first, soon developing into a deeper, yet careful one. 

Dyatlov feels his heart race like a horse. He is truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nawwwwww! How cute! They kissed!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!!  
This chapter is VERY EXPLICIT. If you are soft spoken and can't handle mature/explicit content I ask you to skip this chapter. 
> 
> Thank you.  
!!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!! !!!WARNING!!!

After the celebrations concluded, everyone heads back home. However, Bryukhanov and Dyatlov remain at the amusement park. They sit together on a bench near the big wheel, looking up to the stars, share a cup of ice cream together, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate flavored. Dyatlov is still acting shy, he does not quite know how to behave and what to do. Sometimes he looks up to see if Bryukhanov is still there. The constant fear of him leaving any moment is very present within Dyatlovs throat. 

The moment passes and the ice cream is completely gone by now. Bryukhanov almost ate it all on his own, not because he was greedy, more because of Dyatlov not eating much of it at all. Still, the ice cream was delicious, not just because of the cream and the sprinkles, rather more because Dyatlov shared it with his man. 

“How about you come and sleep at my place tonight Tolya? Is it okay if I call you Tolya? Or does it make you feel uncomfortable?” Bryukhanov asks with a gentle smile on his lips. 

So many questions at once!!! But Dyatlov tries to keep a calm mind, things are not as bad as he feared them to be, Bryukhanov is completely open towards him and there is no need to be nervous or afraid. 

“Eh…. Uhm y-yes… I …. Uhm….” Dyatlov stumbles completely out of his mind. 

That much about not being nervous anymore…. 

Bryukhanov giggles silent: “Let us go okay?” He takes Dyatlovs hand again, standing up dragging the other man with him gentle. His movement is smooth and angelic, it’s like a trance and Dyatlov just follows with it. 

The world around them feels rose red suddenly, the air is unusual warm and the scent of flowers and citrus fruits lay in the air. At least it feels like so for Dyatlov. He does not know how, but from one moment to another he was in front of Bryukhanovs apartment. 

Bryukhanov opens the door to his flat. The scent of roses immediately fills the corridor outside and Dyatlov raises his eyebrows, this was exactly what he expected from the apartment of this man. They both step inside and Bryukhanov closes the door behind them, locking it and switching the light on. 

The apartment is surprisingly small for a man of his status, but however, it’s decorated lovely, yet very simplistic from the inside. Such as if he freshly moved in. Everything is clean and there are a few bouquets of roses on the dresser and the table but nothing much more. In a swift movement Bryukhanov lights a few candles and switches the headlight off again, creating a romantic atmosphere. He then leads the two of them towards the bedroom. 

“Take a seat, Tolya.” He says, the candlelight falling onto his cheekbones gentle, making him look soft and neat. Dyatlov won’t hesitate this time, he takes a seat right next to him on his bed, looking up at the man in front of him. In that moment he questions to himself what might happen now. This is no ordinary situation, not anymore at least. 

The air fills with tension. 

Bryukhanov starts to untie Dyatlovs necktie slowly, taking it off and throwing it aside, then continuing with the buttons of his shirt. Dyatlov immediately starts to sweat, what is happening now??? Without hesitation he takes off Dyatlovs jacket, suspenders and shirt alike, leaving him with his bare chest. Luckily the room is nice tempered so Dyatlov won’t freeze, he has goosebumps however, but rather because of the situation than of the room temperature. 

Bryukhanov looks into his eyes: “Are you okay Tolya? Nothing bad?” He is very concerned and cares for the well being of the man in front of him. Dyatlov blushes and looks away shy as he nods slowly. “Alright.” Bryukhanov continues, he pushes Dyatlov onto the bed and bends over him. 

He kisses him again, this time more intense. Their tongues meet and start to devour one another. 

It's like an eternity passes by, but in fact is was just the blink of a moment. Bryukhanov sits up again, taking off his jacket as well now, revealing that he wears some nice green-ish suspenders. They suit him perfectly and get along lovely with his eyes. 

With one hand he starts to open Dyatlovs pants, with the other he starts to take off the suspenders to then open his shirt, removing both. Laying the suspenders next to them onto the bed and throwing the shirt into the next corner. 

He starts to kiss Dyatlov once again, with even more passion this time. 

Slowly, he grabs into Dyatlovs pants, right down to his gentleman sword to give it a nice massage. He moves his hand skilled, yet careful and curious discovering what he is holding from down the shaft up to the tip. 

Dyatlov can’t hold himself but has to moan, he never felt something like that before in his entire life. The feeling is generally overwhelming for him, he has no clue what is happening to him, but he enjoys it. All his fears and stress are fading away, as if all his depressions and anxieties never been there. The feel of pure bliss ranges from the top of his head all the way down to the tips of his toes like a lightning, most intense, of course, at the very center of his body, where the man he adores for so long does the most lovely thing to him one could imagine. 

He closes his eyes for a moment, leaning his head back, just enjoying that new feeling. As Bryukhanov goes on, Dyatlov can feel how he gets a hard one, as response to that Bryukhanov drags down Dyatlovs pants to offer more space. His swollen penis won’t hesitate a minute and just makes his way out, presenting itself to Bryukhanov, which in return gives it a nice stroke again. 

Dyatlovs moans up again, still with his eyes closed. His feelings are like on a rollercoaster, but in a positive way. There is nothing that would be more exciting and blissful now, he reached the top of happiness!

In a swift movement Bryukhanov then takes his suspenders again, grabbing Dyatlovs arms and pulling them up to the head of the bed, tying both his hands there. Dyatlov opens his eyes again wondering what’s going on. Bryukhanov stands up, taking the other pair of suspenders that belong to Dyatlov and returns to the man on the bed. 

Unsure as he is, Dyatlov is a bit concerned about what’s happening now. He watches Bryukhanov approach him again. This time the candlelight makes him look fearful and dangerous, his expression not mellow and nice anymore. Is that part of the game??

With force, Bryukhanov jumps onto Dyatlov, piercing him down to the bed and wrapping the suspenders around the neck of Dyatlov. Dyatlov on the other hand opens his eyes wide and in fear. Is that some weird sex practice he is not aware of? Whatever, he should trust Bryukhanov in his actions, no matter what. 

But against what he expected, Bryukhanov ties the suspenders tighter and tighter without mercy or hesitation. 

Dyatlov starts to choke, he can’t move or breath anymore. 

He closes his eyes again, losing consciousness. 

Black out.


	8. Chapter 8

The window breaks with a loud clanging noise. Shards of glass fall to the ground right next to the bed. A slender figure dressed completely in black breaks through the said window. His face is covered with a black bandana, protection glasses and a beany. He wears a hood to make the disguise complete. 

With a forceful swing he slams Bryukhanov off of Dyatlov, taking a knife and cuts both pairs of suspenders, to free Dyatlov. Bryukhanov falls to the ground with a thud, growling mad: “WHAT THE…!” His eyes open wide.

He stands up quick, grabbing the next thing he can reach to use it as a weapon. The slender figure however kicks it out of his hand by instant, looking at Bryukhanov, ready to attack in defense, but not taking action by himself. 

A brief moment passes that felt like forever, as the two opposing entities stare at each other. 

“Tze, I should have seen this coming. You are like a little annoying fly that refuses to leave!” Bryukhanov says, resting his hands on his hips sassy. The slender figure remains silent, watching him in caution, not moving a muscle.

The silence breaks as Dyatlov starts coughing and chocking for air. He opens his eyes, his vision blurry, fading away again. The slender figure looks at him distracted and Bryukhanov takes the chance to grab another material to swing it after the figure. 

Within the last possible moment, the figure manages to dodge the attack. The situation is dire, there is no way out without hurting his opponent. With swift movement, barely noticeable for Bryukhanov, the figure makes his way around the foe to his back and with a forceful slam he hits Bryukhanov at the back of his head, knocking him out. Bryukhanov goes down, falls over to the ground. 

The figure takes a deep breath looking at the blacked-out man in front of him, then to the bed where Dyatlov still lays like sleeping beauty. “You better be thankful…” He mutters, lifting Dyatlov up and jumps out of the window all the way down to the ground. The jump would never be humanly possible, but the figure does not stumble a bit, landing perfectly and without any injuries. The fact alone that a man of his statue can lift a man like Dyatlov, even though Dyatlov is not overweight, but the relation on the two men is …. Not even close to equal. 

The next day. It’s early in the morning. Khodemchuk opens the back door at the Chernobyl power plant. He just finished his shift and wanted to smoke some before he changes and goes. Upon lighting his cigarette his gaze falls on the still unconscious Dyatlov in the corner near the door. The figure must have dropped him there last night in hope that someone trustworthy would find him…. Or Dyatlov turned out to be too heavy to be thrown into the reactor core for composting. Who knows.

Shock. The cigarette he just lit falls out of his mouth as he stares at the scene. Never would he expect this view, especially not since he saw Dyatlov yesterday on stage next to Bryukhanov. He rushes towards the man, checking pulse, and vital conditions as much as he can. “Bless, he is still alive.” He gazes upon Dyatlov, noticing the strains on his neck and wrists that the suspenders left. 

Without further hesitation he runs off to get a doctor. 

Hours pass. Dyatlov slowly opens his eyes, this time gaining back his consciousness. The bright light is blinding him at first, but soon enough he gains back his ability to seen. He looks around confused, it looks like he is at the Chernobyl power plant medic station. A doctor is talking to Toptunov and Akimov on the other side of the room. He can barely hear them clearly; his body is still fighting with recovering. 

“Ah, look. He is awake again.” The doctor says. 

Toptunov looks at him, rushing to the cot: “Oh thank goodness, I was so worried! I’m glad you are okay Tolya.” He smiles relieved, his view worried as always.

Dyatlov sits up as good as he can: “Don’t call me by that name.” He looks at the blanket emotionless. 

Akimov and Toptunov look at each other confused. Their friend seems changed, cold hearted again. Akimov steps towards them as well and sits down next to him: “Uhm … comrade Dyatlov… may I ask, what happened? Comrade Khodemchuk found you outside the plant. The last time we saw you yesterday with Bryukhanov. Can you remember anything?”

Dyatlov looks at Akimov, anger rising up from his belly, his trust – gone. The betrayal weights deep within him, and his expression starts to reflect that. His eyebrows grow sharp, his eyes gain the same cold glim that he used to have before he opened up towards them, how foolish of him to ever do that. Everything that he built up during the past weeks is crumbling and the old hard shell is growing back, stronger, shutting him up from everyone. Nothing will be as before now; he will never trust anyone ever again. 

Akimov starts to sweat, the old fear crawls up his back. He swallows: “Comrade…. I bet this must be hard…. But you can trust us. We go to the police and…” – “AND WHAT?” Dyatlov stops him and yells in anger: “DO YOU EVEN HAVE THE GLIMS OF A CLUE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!? NO!?” Akimov stands up again, backing away, staring at Dyatlov afraid. 

“Fuck off! JUST FUCK OFF!!!” Dyatlov yells sharp, breaking out in tears. Never has anyone witness him crying. Nobody has seen him so vulnerable.

Toptunov looks at Akimov with a mix of a sad and afraid expression, taking his hand: “Let us go, I bet he needs some time for himself, and we should give him the space he needs.” – “Yes.” Akimov replies. The two men leave. Taking their backpacks from the dressing room. 

Sitnikov stops them at the door: “Hey guys ‘scuse me, but Leonid this fell out of your back.” He holds up a black bandana. Toptunov looks at the piece of clothing. The blink of a moment passes before he takes the Bandana: “Ah thank you. Glad you found it.” Sitnikov holds onto it for a moment longer before he releases it, looking Toptunov straight into the eyes, which in return looks at him with all innocence. 

The two men leave. Akimov looks back to see if someone follows them: “What was that? I didn’t know you are that black-bandana type of guy. And Sitnikov acted pretty suspicious, don’t you think?” Toptunov raises his eyebrows: “Hm it’s my fathers one and I usually carry it in my back for good luck. But no clue what’s up with Sitnikov. Maybe he was the one that attacked and left Dyatlov at the plant? Who knows huh?” – “Yeah true.” Akimov agrees sinking down in thoughts. 

As Akimov suspected, someone was truly watching them from afar. It’s Sitnikov. His hiding skills are beyond average, nobody would ever notice him. He leaves, walking straight towards Bryukhanovs flat. 

Sitnikov opens the door to Bryukhanovs apartment. Bryukhanov sits on the bed, together with the man who attacked Toptunov prior. “It’s true. Just as we thought. Toptunov is the traitor.” Sitnikov looks at the two. Bryukhanov, who still holds his shoulder and neck, looks up to him. The attack last night left it’s marks, physically, and visually. With a groan he shakes his head. 

“Then we need a new plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plan!? What Plan!? And what is Toptunov up to??


	9. Chapter 9

Akimov and Toptunov arrive at home. Well, Akimovs flat to be exactly. Even though the two spend so much time together, they still have separate apartments. However, they never spend time at Toptunovs, and actually Akimov has never seen his boyfriends flat from the inside. They always end up at Akimovs place. 

With a suspicious gaze, Akimov approaches Toptunov: “Your lucky bandana? I didn’t know you have something like that.” He picks up the black piece of clothing, but Toptunov rips it out of his hands with a surprising amount force. “Don’t touch my stuff.” He hisses at his friend. 

Never had Akimov experienced him like that. Shocked he stands there, looking into the mans face. Toptunov has the same mad glim in his eyes, juts like Bryukhanov had when he tried to strange Dyatlov. This is completely new. And with a sad expression he sits down on the sofa. 

Toptunov softens his gaze as he witnesses his mate going down: “Hey… I’m sorry Sasha… but there some things that I prefer not to share. Things that could get you into danger.” He lays his hand on one of Akimovs cheeks: “I love and trust you. Please do not do something dumb okay?” Akimov nods. 

“Okay. I’m going to take a shower now. You want to join me or prefer to stay here?” He asks with a smirk. Akimov silently, almost fading: “I’d like to stay here.” Toptunov mods and gets going to take a shower. 

As soon as the bathroom door falls shut, Akimov grabs Toptunovs bag to search for the keys of his flat. He must be hiding something, and Akimov needs to know what. 

Gotcha, with a deep exhale he grabs the keys and sneaks to the door. He has to be silent, even though Toptunov takes a shower, the falling water does not overtone every noise. Luckily, he manages to leave the apartment without failure. He rushes down the stairs … just to bump into Stolyachuk. “Oh, I’m sorry Boris.” Akimovs says, sweaty and nervous. Stolyachuk looks at him wondering: “What happened? You look like you just witnessed a murder!” – “Uh… I … it’s nothing. Really.” He rushes on, leaving a confused Stolyachuk behind. 

Toptunovs flat is not far from his own, with swift feet he makes his way there, rushing up the stairs. Arriving at the destination floor, Akimov has to catch his breath. But every minute he wastes on breathing in exhaustion is a waste minute to break into this apartment and see what Toptunov is hiding. 

He opens the door. Everything is silent. He can only hear his own breath, feeling the clothes on his skin almost ten times more intense. 

The tension is rising. 

Inside the flat it’s dark, very very dark. He opens the door even more and lets his hand lurk inside to find the light switch. With a clicking noise a headlight starts to get lit, slowly but surely, the neon light fills the room, revealing what’s. Akimov now goes in, closing the door behind him. What he finds there shocks him over all manners. 

All over the walls are photos of the citizens of Prypiat. Everyone is detailed pictured there, with information about their family status, birthday, workplace and so on and so forth. He looks around, tears rising up in his eyes. What has he just discovered!? His man, the man he loves, the most gently person in the universe. A criminal master mind. Impossible.

He investigates further. There is a layout plan of the Chernobyl power plant building. A lot of technical informations, written on papers are there too. What is that? Akimov reads through some of the papers. Quickly he understands: It’s a plan to blow up reactor 4!

It was planned for the day of the safety test on April 26 during the night shift. This would have meant his doom, and the doom of everyone in Prypiat, if not the whole world! There are no possible explanations why Toptunov would do something like that. It would be a suicide act with consequences way beyond that. Fortunately for everyone, Dyatlov was supervising the safety test and was in grant charge of every action. It looked like Toptunov was not able to drive down the reactor that night all thanks to Dyatlov. He saved them all, unknowingly.

With no further ado he folds the papers and stuffs them into his pokes, heading on to the next wall. There is an image of Bryukhanov… and Dyatlov. It looks like Toptunov was taking track of their actions. Highlighting Bryukhanov in a special way and forming the connections towards Dyatlov. There are photos from the happening a few weeks ago where Dyatlovs pants slipped down in front of Bryukhanov. There are detailed reports of every action Bryukhanov did. A proper biopic got created by Toptunov, revealing that Bryukhanov has a dark secret. 

It looks like Bryukhanov is responsible for several cases of murder in Prypiat. But so far, the evidence has been removed in a proper way. There was no way anyone could suspect him. For some reason, however, Toptunov managed to gather all this stuff. Images, voice recordings, all the like. 

Akimovs confusion is rising. Who is the bad guy in this game?? There is no clear villain to this point. He gathers as much stuff as he can carry and prepares his departure. Just in that moment a picture falls down to the ground. He picks it up. It shows himself and Toptunov on one of their more recent dates. A short moment of heart-warming peace fills Akimovs heart, just as he then notices that Bryukhanov stands in the background. Akimov always wondered why the angle is so weird in which they took the photo. He always assumed that it was just an accident. But apparently Toptunov was focusing on the happening behind them. And of all things, Akimov did not question the sudden disappearance of the photo they took together. 

Bryukhanov is in the background of that pic, carrying a pair of suspenders with him. Within that second Akimov realizes why Toptunov wanted to take that pic so urgent. It looks like his love betrayed him in every way. Disappointed he stuffs the pic into his already filled pocket as well. 

With that he leaves the flat again. He remains at the closed door for a moment, leaning his forehead against the door thoughtful. He has to hold the tears back, even though it’s hard for him in that very moment. “Why Lenya… why…”

Now quick actions must be done! With another Usain Bold sprint Akimov makes his way to Dyatlov, the only person he could trust now… the only friend left. Hopefully did Toptunov not finish his shower yet. The moment he discovers that Akimov took his keys could be the last moment for Akimov to breath. Oh please god no!

With a forceful swing he slams open the door “COMRADE DYATLOV I NEED YOUR HELP!!” He yells. The patients inside the nursing room flinch, a guy with a broken leg almost falls out of his bed in shock. Akimov looks around, but Dyatlov is nowhere to be seen. A nurse approaches him. “If you search for Comrade Dyatlov, he just left to head home I fear.” - “Oh.” Akimov says embarrassed, his cheeks blushing. The guy with the broken leg looks mean at him. “I… I’m sorry.” He closes the door again, very soft and gentle. 

Akimov better hurry now to not lose anymore time. Halfway through he finally catches up on Dyatlov: “Comrade…! Please wait.” he says, panting, fighting for every inhale of fresh air. Dyatlov turns around to him, raising an eyebrow: “What do you want, Moron? Didn’t I make it clear enough that I don’t want to stay in contact with you arseholes any longer!?” His voice is hissing, in a very annoyed tone.

Akimov nods: “Y-yes, but comrade, you need to look at this!” He hands him the papers that he stole from Toptunovs flat. With a skeptic view Dyatlov takes them papers and flies through them quick. His eyes growing wide, looking up to Akimov concerned: “Where did you get that from Sasha!? TELL ME!? WHERE?? I need to know the details!” He takes a step forward towards Akimov, who in return is surprised that Dyatlov called him by his nickname. “Those… are from Lenyas apartment. I stole his keys and basically broke in.”

Dyatlov nods: “Those are important informations. We need to tell the police. About both, Bryukhanov and Toptunov alike. They both have serious shit going on. And you, Sasha, you need to be careful now. I can imagine that Toptunov will take you into his crossfire now.” Akimov shakes his head: “No, I don’t think so. I will talk to him. I’m sure he will understand the situation and clear everything up. Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks like right now.” Dyatlov looks at him even more concerned, however, he nods towards him. His trust is still broken down, but in this case, he shall believe Akimov. He knows Toptunov way better than Dyatlov would ever do. 

Akimov hands him over all the stuff he gathered inside Toptunovs flat. Just in case Toptunov won’t cooperate he wants to know that those documents are in safe hands. He even hands him over the photo where he and Toptunov had their date. Of course, Dyatlov takes a look at the pic curious, immediately spotting Bryukhanov in the background: “My suspenders!?” he says wondering. At the end of the day it was Bryukhanovs plan to have Dyatlovs pants fall loose. What a lunatic.

“Huh? Oh, that’s why he’s carrying those. I was already wondering” Akimov looks at the photo as well now. “Well…” his view fixed of the pic: “I need to go now…” Dyatlov nods again: “Yeah, gotta go fast.” With no more hesitation Akimov takes on the way to head back home. He is nervous about the approaching situation. He can feel his stomach flip upside down. 

A lot of thoughts rush into his head. He is playing through all possible situations. Everything could happen, resulting even in the worst case – death. But better not think about that. All in all, Toptunov is his boyfriend, and he loves him, no matter what. 

He arrives at his flat, walking up the stairs to his apartment door. He pauses a short moment to breath. Everything will be fine, at least he tries to believe that. Slowly he opens the door, just to discover that his own flat is now all dark as well. He opens the door wide to let the light from the corridor fall inside the room. “Lenya…?” he asks carefully yet nervous, his voice full of angst. 

No answer. 

He takes two steps inside, his body shaking, fear is rising. This was certainly not a good idea. He starts to lose hope that Toptunov will be open for a talk. He truly seems to have an issue and not even his love could cure that. 

Rethinking his actions and deciding to go back to Dyatlov to seek help, Akimov turns around, just to discover that Toptunov stands behind him now. He flinches in fear, he never did that before, but now he has serious reason to do so, since Toptunov is pointing a gun at him. 

“Sasha… I trusted you … I loved you…. I never thought you would be a traitor to me. Never. I’m really disappointed now. I tried to safe this city from an evil man, and you… you just foiled all my plans.” Toptunov says in an evil, dark tone. 

“Lenya…” Akimov replies with shaking voice: “Blowing up the reactor won’t safe the city… it would kill us all! Do you understand that? … It would kill … me … and … you alike…” he is trembling, knees getting weak. He wasn’t prepared for that, not for a gun pointing at his head.

Toptunov looks down: “Yes I know….” His head rising again, eyes glowing red: “But this would be the better option, than to fall victim to … him.”

Akimov takes a step forward: “Leny-“

With no further hesitation, Toptunov pulls the trigger. Shooting Akimov straight between the eyes. Tears run down Akimovs face, as he falls to the ground lifeless. 

“It’s time to end this finally.” He closes the door, leaving the man he once loved left alone in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to go down here!
> 
> Stay tuned for the next and probably final chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Will be continued eventually.


End file.
